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February 17, 2009

39th Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2009-Feb-17 (PDF)

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF Ontario

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L'ONTARIO

Tuesday 17 February 2009 Mardi 17 février 2009

ORDERS OF THE DAY

REGULATED HEALTH PROFESSIONS AMENDMENT ACT, 2009 /

LOI DE 2009 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LES PROFESSIONS DE LA SANTÉ RÉGLEMENTÉES

USE OF PAPER IN THE HOUSE

PREMIER'S ATTENDANCE

ORAL QUESTIONS

ONTARIO ECONOMY

ONTARIO BUDGET

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

ONTARIO LOTTERY AND

GAMING CORP.

MANUFACTURING JOBS

STUDENT ASSISTANCE

HEALTH CARE

ONTARIO DISABILITY

SUPPORT PROGRAM

TEACHERS' COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

HEALTH CARE

MINISTRY OF THE

ATTORNEY GENERAL

PUBLIC TRANSIT

GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS

TOURISM

USE OF QUESTION PERIOD

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

ROYAL ASSENT /

SANCTION ROYALE

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

HEALTH CARE

ONTARIO BUDGET

TERMINATION AND SEVERANCE PAYMENTS

TEACHERS

MARY WELSH

PREMIER OF ONTARIO

CYCLONE MANUFACTURING

KINDNESS WEEK

MICHAEL FREEMAN

REPORTS BY COMMITTEES

STANDING COMMITTEE ON

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS

STANDING COMMITTEE ON

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS

MOTIONS

PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BUSINESS

PETITIONS

HEALTH CARE

BATHURST HEIGHTS

ADULT LEARNING CENTRE

TUITION

CHILD CUSTODY

HOSPITAL FUNDING

HOSPITAL FUNDING

ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS

FEDERAL-PROVINCIAL

FISCAL POLICIES

CHILD CARE

TOM LONGBOAT

SALES TAX

POPE JOHN PAUL II

SALES TAX

ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS

ORDERS OF THE DAY

CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES

STATUTE LAW AMENDMENT ACT, 2009 /

LOI DE 2009 MODIFIANT DES LOIS

EN CE QUI CONCERNE LES SERVICES

À L'ENFANCE ET À LA FAMILLE

The House met at 0900.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Good morning. Please remain standing for the Lord's Prayer, followed by the Hindu prayer.

Prayers.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

REGULATED HEALTH PROFESSIONS AMENDMENT ACT, 2009 /

LOI DE 2009 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LES PROFESSIONS DE LA SANTÉ RÉGLEMENTÉES

Ms. Smith, on behalf of Mr. Caplan, moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 141,

An Act to amend the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 / Projet de loi 141, Loi de 2009 modifiant la

Loi sur les professions de la santé réglementées.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Debate?

Hon. Monique M. Smith: Mr. Speaker, I'm sharing all of my time with the member from Scarborough–Rouge River this morning.

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: I'm pleased to speak on Bill 141, the Regulated Health Professions Amendment Act, 2009. This bill would amend the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, to give colleges the authority to make regulations providing for the direct observation of a member in his or her practice, including the direct observation by inspectors of procedures performed by a member on a patient during a college inspection or examination.

The amendment supports the government's commitment to improve patient safety and quality of health care services in Ontario by providing the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and all of the other health regulatory colleges in the province with the tools they need to conduct comprehensive facility inspections that support their mandate to protect the public.

This amendment to the RHPA was introduced late last year. It would, if passed, strengthen the safety and quality of care provided by all regulated health professionals in this province. It would provide all health regulatory colleges with the tools they need to support their mandate to protect the public. Colleges would be given the authority to conduct comprehensive inspections of places where health care services are provided.

This amendment was necessitated due to a number of unacceptable situations that arose in 2007. You will recall that there were incidents of substandard cosmetic surgery provided by physicians. The risk to the public's safety made this an urgent priority of our government.

In November 2007, the College of Physicians and Surgeons established a multi-pronged plan for responding to these incidents, including regulating the practice of high-risk procedures such as cosmetic surgery. I'd like to acknowledge and thank our partner, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, for its leadership in this important matter.

Health regulatory colleges need the authority to directly observe regulated health professionals in practice, including directly observing them performing procedures on patients to ensure the quality and safety of facilities and equipment they use and provide in such services. The best time to do so is during an inspection of the place where a regulated health professional practises. This would enhance the ability of the colleges to adequately inspect places where unsafe health care services could be provided.

The McGuinty government is committed to enhancing patient safety and the quality of care provided by health care professionals. That's why we've moved on a number of fronts. In July 2008, an amended regulation of the Public Hospitals Act was enacted to require hospitals to disclose to patients and their families any critical event which resulted in serious injury or death. In September 2008, we started full public hearings on eight patient-safety indicators, including C. difficile, as part of a comprehensive plan to create an unprecedented level of transparency in Ontario's hospitals. This is but the latest in a series of initiatives designed to protect Ontario patients.

I would urge all members of this Legislature to support Bill 141, as we improve public safety in the health care system.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Questions and comments?

Mr. Norm Miller: I'd just like to comment that it seems unusual that with all the job losses going on around this province, hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs and a huge economic crisis, the first piece of legislation the government sees fit to bring in is one to do with cosmetic surgery. I just question the priorities of this government when we have such a major crisis that is going on in the province of Ontario. We wait for them to take some real action to deal with this economic crisis that the province finds itself in.

We wonder when the government's going to be bringing its budget in and we wonder when this government—when Mr. McGuinty—is going to actually develop a plan to deal with this economic crisis, because so far it seems like he just reacts to things and is governing by polls instead of actually dealing with the crisis that we find ourselves in.

I'm surprised to see that this is the priority for this government and I wonder when they're going to actually deal with the crisis we find ourselves in.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Thank you. Questions and comments?

Mr. Rosario Marchese: I just wanted to say that I will be supporting this amendment. It's a small amendment. It's typical of what Liberals do on a regular basis; they introduce little regulatory changes and never go the full length of what needs to be done by way of regulation.

Cosmetic surgery has been an issue for quite a long time. There are a whole lot of people who want to be able to have cosmetic surgery, and I find it regrettable, quite frankly, that so many feel that somehow they are not quite as beautiful as they are and they need corrective surgery.

The problem is, it's done by people who shouldn't be doing it. We need strong regulation in order to be able to do it. The scope of observation is tied to the facility rather than the procedural physician. This is a good regulatory practice here. At least it will allow people to go in and observe not just the facility but the practice, and that's going in the right direction. God bless. Hopefully, some lives may be saved in the process.

But we've got to go a little further than that. We've got to do what other provinces are doing—recognizing the importance of extensive monitoring. In some of these provinces, like British Columbia and Alberta, all surgeons and the surgical facilities they operate in must be licensed for each procedure they perform. That's the way it should be.

We do these little regulatory changes that make it very difficult for us not to support. Why wouldn't we be supporting these changes that could lead to better observation and better regulatory changes? But we've got to do much more than that.

We hope the government will bring this package down the line—who knows when?—but that is at least my expectation.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Questions and comments?

Mr. Mike Colle: The importance of this change is essentially that the general public doesn't have the expertise or the time to ensure that regulated health professionals, the people who provide health care services right across this province on a 24/7 basis—that there is a safety mechanism to ensure that these practitioners of health, who have the health and safety of Ontarians in their hands, are supervised by their supervisory bodies, the regulatory bodies, to make sure they're doing the right thing and that if there are improper undertakings there is a mechanism to ensure they are checked and the public is protected.

This is not a stand-alone piece of regulatory change. It goes along with all the regulatory changes and all the changes in the health care system that we've undertaken. This is one piece of it. It's something that professionals in the field and safety advocates have said is needed. The public asks government to protect them.

It's always after the fact, when an unfortunate situation occurs, that people then come clamouring and saying, "Why wasn't that changed?" So the government has responded to these health professionals who are saying, "This is something we could use to ensure the public is safeguarded," that there are mechanisms in place to ensure that these practitioners are doing things according to the best rules and best practice available. That's what this change is about. It is something that protects the public, and the public expects government to do, because the public needs to work in partnership with the government to ensure that their health and safety is protected.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Questions and comments?

Mr. Randy Hillier: I see, after our nice little holiday, not much has changed. The government priority is still right where it was where we left off. Here we are, facing such huge economic challenges, and here is the government priority once again.

I just have to comment on what we've heard recently in the papers from our esteemed Premier. He mentioned a couple of weeks ago, during his parade of interviews, that Ontario has half a million provincial laws and regulations and that this was choking off prosperity in this province—half a million. I guess today it's going to be half a million and one. They're just going to be increasing, increasing.

Now of course, the Premier said his job was going to be to reduce and eliminate these unproductive, counterproductive pieces of regulations—and Bill 141 comes in. We've heard the Premier, on many occasions, talk about promises. A couple of weeks ago, we heard promises that we were going to reduce regulatory burdens. What do we get the first day back? He hasn't even gotten in the House yet and the promises are being broken.

This Bill 141—surely everybody on the Liberal side of this House understands that we do have some priorities and we do have responsibilities to the people of this province, and it's not to be chasing our tails all the time over insignificant, incremental regulatory creep.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): The member for Scarborough—Rouge River has two minutes to respond.

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: I just want to thank the members from Parry Sound—Muskoka, Trinity—Spadina, Eglinton—Lawrence and Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington for their comments.

What took place in 2007, where we had patient safety situations occur, was really unfortunate. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario approached the government as a result of those incidents, requiring that we do something to assist them in the regulations process. That's what we're doing today. The government is responding to the college. We're responding as quickly as we can to strengthen the regulatory process within the college for patient safety. I would urge all members to support this bill. Let it have easy passage quickly into legislation. We look after patient safety, which is the number one priority of the government.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Further debate?

Mr. Norm Miller: I move adjournment of the debate.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Second reading debate adjourned.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Orders of the day?

Hon. Monique M. Smith: There's no more business this morning.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): The government having no more business this morning, the House is therefore recessed until 10:30 this morning.

The House recessed from 0918 to 1030.

USE OF PAPER IN THE HOUSE

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Good morning, members. Welcome back as we begin this new session. I have a brief statement I'd like to deliver.

Since becoming Speaker, I've heard from quite a few members about the number of paper documents that each of us receives every day. In this electronic age, many members and their staffs are quite comfortable using their computers to get information and do not need hard copies.

Of course, I have no jurisdiction over the reports and other documents sent to you by various ministries or by agencies, boards and commissions of the government, and from a range of other sources. The documents of the Legislative Assembly, however, are within my jurisdiction. Therefore, in response to concerns by many members and in the interest of further reducing the assembly's environmental footprint and more wisely using resources, I've taken steps to reduce the amount of paper documents distributed each day the House meets.

Up to now, all members have had a set of binders under their desks. Each day, the Hansard and copies of bills have been inserted. I have had all these binders removed and have arranged for copies of all bills and Hansards to be made available on demand by simply requesting them from the table. This step alone will significantly reduce the amount of paper consumed by this assembly without affecting access to the documents, which are also available on the assembly website. In fact, they are routinely available there long before the printed versions are delivered.

However, should you personally wish to retain hard copies of bills and Hansards at your desk, please mention this to the table and this will be done for you.

It seems to me that more than ever it is incumbent on us to be careful stewards of our resources and our budgets. Every bit of printed material we can cut out of our daily lives will lessen the environmental footprint of the assembly and make a difference in many ways.

I wish to thank members for their comments to me about this issue and for your ongoing support for other environmental programs already under way here at the assembly. I look forward to your co-operation in this initiative and invite your ideas on ways that we can do even more in the future. Thank you.

Mr. Peter Kormos: I seek unanimous consent for the Speaker to be given an opportunity to comment on the recent Blizzard column which spoke of him in the superlative.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): The member seeks unanimous consent. I'm afraid I heard a no.

PREMIER'S ATTENDANCE

Mr. Robert W. Runciman: On a point of order, Speaker: With the exception of the York University legislation, this House hasn't been in session since December 11. Last month we saw 70,000 jobs lost in Ontario. Can we not expect the Premier to be here for question period?

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): The Minister of Finance on the same point of order.

Hon. Dwight Duncan: The Premier is with the Prime Minister about to launch a major infrastructure initiative that will create a number of jobs in Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): It's time for oral questions. The leader of Her Majesty's loyal opposition.

ORAL QUESTIONS

ONTARIO ECONOMY

Mr. Robert W. Runciman: Thank you, Speaker. In that event, my question will have to go to the Minister of Finance.

Minister, in the last few weeks, Mr. McGuinty has been all over the map in terms of how your government will meet the province's financial challenges. You even had to be sent out to calm the waters after he suggested bringing back Rae days for the public service. Now we're told that you are delaying your budget past the dates you suggested it was going to be tabled. Minister, is this just another indication that your leader, Mr. McGuinty, is out of his depth, that his erratic behaviour is paralyzing this government?

Hon. Dwight Duncan: Our government, after the election, laid out a plan that began to address what was already occurring in the economy in terms of challenges to the manufacturing and forestry sectors. We built on that in our March 2008 budget, creating more than 1.5% of GDP in stimulus through infrastructure and tax cuts. We updated that in our fall economic statement. Subsequent to that, we've provided up to $1.4 billion in assistance to the automotive sector, which hopefully will see resolution soon.

There are enormous challenges that have emerged in the economy, particularly since October, and I think it's quite fair and appropriate that the Premier of Ontario take in a range of views and look carefully at all kinds of alternatives to help Ontario weather this global economic crisis.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Robert W. Runciman: The behaviour of Mr. McGuinty is certainly raising eyebrows. He has more positions than a Kama Sutra enthusiast. People in this province—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Order.

Please continue.

Mr. Robert W. Runciman: People in this province should have confidence in the guy steering the ship. But when one day he says his five-point economic plan is the greatest thing since sliced bread and a few weeks later he suggests it's virtually irrelevant; when he says in October that we need an emergency debate on the economy and four months later it's just sitting on the order paper not being debated, not being voted on, I think the Premier's musings generate legitimate concerns. This is not just an economic crisis; it's becoming a crisis of leadership. Why are you delaying the budget?

Hon. Dwight Duncan: We certainly don't want to make light of the circumstances at this time, particularly today when the state of California is on the verge of bankruptcy; when we will hear back, in the US, on the automotive sector. What I can say is this: When we proposed $4.9 billion in infrastructure investment, that member voted against it. I will remind you, sir, that $7 billion in infrastructure investment is in the ground, under way in Ontario as a result of this government's budget.

When we proposed significant tax relief that flowed to companies last July to help those sectors that were most challenged, those companies both making money and not making money, that member and his party voted against it.

This is no time for jokes. We are in the midst of a global crisis. It's affecting every country in the world. We've laid out a plan. We've shown leadership—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Final supplementary?

Mr. Robert W. Runciman: Well, 70,000 Ontario jobs lost last month; 136,000 lost since November; bankruptcies up 50%. The minister says he doesn't want to make light of the situation. Well, what are we debating in the Legislature this week? Cosmetic surgery? Young offender housing? Does that suggest a government and a Premier who know what they're doing? I say no. This is a government adrift, with a Premier unable to provide leadership in these challenging times. I ask the minister, will he commit to bringing in a budget no later than the first week of March, as he promised earlier, a budget that will include a comprehensive and realistic economic plan?

Hon. Dwight Duncan: We laid out a comprehensive plan in March of 2008. We updated it in the fall of 2008. I'll remind you that when his party was out talking about balanced budgets for the next four years, this government, this Premier, were the first to acknowledge the enormous challenge in the world economy being faced right here in Ontario.

There is much to do. We will table a budget in the last two weeks of March. We are preparing for every circumstance. Today that party put out their fourth plan in five months that says nothing, does nothing—

Hon. George Smitherman: Talk about erratic.

Hon. Dwight Duncan: —and talk about erratic.

Premier McGuinty and his government will continue to build on the initiatives we've laid out in the last year and a half to help Ontario through this global crisis.

ONTARIO BUDGET

Mr. Tim Hudak: In the absence of the Premier, to the Minister of Finance—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I'd just remind the honourable member that we don't make reference to the attendance of members.

Mr. Tim Hudak: As you'll recall, the Premier wanted the finance committee to hold pre-budget consultations, for the first time in memory, before Christmas. Particularly in a time of growing economic crisis, a government that completed its pre-budget hearings more than two months ago should be ready with a budget and a plan today.

The federal government unveiled its budget almost a month ago. You would think the Ontario government would follow suit. Instead, Premier McGuinty seems absolutely paralyzed by indecision.

Why did you jam the pre-budget consultations in the week before Christmas if you had no intention to act now?

Hon. Dwight Duncan: The member voted against having travelling pre-budget consultations. They've now laid out four plans in five months with respect to the economy.

Our members and I have conducted hundreds of sessions around the province. We have met with business leaders, labour leaders. We have met with a variety of sources both inside Ontario and outside of Ontario.

The member is right, the federal government did have a federal budget—absolutely. That was after a rather dismal fall statement, I might add. I don't think I'd want to do what happened up there.

We laid out a fall statement that updated and invested more in infrastructure. We will lay out a budget in the last two weeks of March that builds on those initiatives, recognizing the enormous challenge in the global economy today. Ontario will not only deal with the short term, we'll deal with long-term competitiveness in a way that member and his party aren't prepared to do.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary.

Mr. Tim Hudak: The minister says that they talked to everybody and his brother—I guess as long as they don't stand anywhere near five feet of the Premier.

I say to the minister, it is time for action. It's awfully difficult for working families and businesses to know where the Premier is coming from these days. They worry about paying their mortgages, they worry about keeping their jobs, and they see no leadership in the Premier's office. One day he sounds like the ghost of Bob Rae, musing about a return to Rae days; the next he talks about cutting taxes and rolling back red tape to spur job creation, just like John Tory and the PC caucus have been calling for for some time; then he sounds like a New Age guru talking about something called "the creative economy" that he happened to read about the night before.

Minister, at this time of economic crisis, Ontario needs a strong leader in the Premier's office. Enough of his musings: It's time for action. Will your government call an early budget to finally spur job creation in the province of Ontario?

Hon. Dwight Duncan: The people of Ontario put a strong leader into the Premier's office in October 2007. They rejected a blind, right-wing ideology that would sacrifice the public interest to the private interest, and instead accepted a Premier and a government that has a plan and has laid out a plan over the last year that builds on infrastructure, builds on tax relief in targeted ways to help stimulate our economy through what all acknowledge is the most challenging global crisis we have seen in generations.

There are no easy or glib answers, like the member opposite would have you believe. These are tough, difficult times. We have laid out a plan that has seen us this far. There is more to do. There's nobody better suited to lead this province than Dalton McGuinty and his government as we go through these difficult and challenging times.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Final supplementary.

Mr. Tim Hudak: Minister, give me a break. You say there are no easy answers. Your Premier has no answers whatsoever. I believe, quite frankly, that the Premier has no clue whatsoever what to do about the growing economic crisis in this province. I hope, at the very least, that Dalton McGuinty finally understands that the same kind of outdated tax-and-spend policies that got us into this mess sure the heck aren't going to get us out of this mess.

Minister, on January 30 you said no to a harmonized sales tax, and just seven days later the Premier wants to give it a good, hard look. You wonder who's running the ship. Seventy thousand well-paying jobs have been lost in the meantime.

Minister, and to your Premier, let's end this policy paralysis and act before more jobs are lost. Bring forward that budget, and bring it forward immediately.

Hon. Dwight Duncan: We will bring the budget forward in the last two weeks of March, and, unlike the member opposite, we'll bring it forward right here in the Legislature. And unlike the member and his party opposite, it will give a complete and true picture of the province's accounts.

These are difficult, enormously challenging times for every economy in the world. We saw the G7 meeting this weekend; we saw the enormous difficulties there. The plan we laid out last year, which invested $7 billion in the ground in infrastructure this year, that member voted against. The $1.5 billion in tax cuts that have flowed already out of $3 billion approved, that member and his party voted against. He voted against having travelling public hearings on finance; we didn't.

Sir, there's more to do. We'll lay out a budget towards the end of March that deals with yet again and continues to build on the progress we have made—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Mr. Howard Hampton: My question is to the Minister of Economic Development. The newspapers are labelling it "D-Day in Detroit" as General Motors and Chrysler prepare to meet the deadline the American government has imposed for auto sector restructuring. Here in Ontario, General Motors workers are wondering if any of their jobs are secure. The CAW leadership has suggested General Motors might leave the province altogether.

My question is this: Can the McGuinty government assure workers and communities that General Motors will continue to substantially operate in Ontario?

Hon. Michael Bryant: Well, this government is working very hard to make sure that is in fact the case. There have been discussions underway for months now between management and labour and government—United States, federal and provincial—in order to determine whether or not there is a viable plan in which it is in the taxpayers' interest to invest. The portion of our economy that involves auto manufacturing, parts and supplies, and distribution, not to mention the full supply chain, literally involves about half a million jobs.

It is of such economic importance that the government is certainly doing everything it can to assure those workers and to assure the people of the many communities that are involved that we do have a healthy auto industry into the future.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Howard Hampton: I'm not sure, if people in Oshawa or Windsor or St. Catharines were listening, that they would find any comfort in this minister's answer whatsoever.

Here is the reality: Tens of thousands of good jobs are at stake, and the McGuinty government's response all along has been, "Let it all be decided in Washington." Well, if it's all decided in Washington, what can happen is what the CAW leadership are already concerned about: that General Motors will simply close up shop here in Ontario and tens of thousands of jobs, good jobs, will disappear. I want to ask the minister very specifically, what concrete steps has the McGuinty government taken to prevent this from happening?

Hon. Michael Bryant: Let's start with the fact that this government had an auto strategy that leveraged literally billions of dollars of investment and created thousands of jobs, and that member and that party voted against it. Fast-forward to the future, when in fact the government of Ontario and the Premier in particular were out front ahead of any leader indicating the need for government to provide assistance and provide jump-starts to the industry so that we can sustain an auto industry in the province of Ontario. That member was against it.

One day the member is standing up, as he is today, for the Canadian Auto Workers, and the next day he doesn't have a nice thing to say about their leadership.

We will continue to work with the leadership of the CAW, with management and with other governments to ensure that we continue to have a vibrant auto industry in the province of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Final supplementary.

Mr. Howard Hampton: I asked for concrete steps and what I got was another barrage of the McGuinty government's failure. Maybe this minister didn't notice, but while you and the Premier were boasting about your auto plan, the truck plant in Oshawa closed and thousands of workers went out the door. While you and the Premier were boasting, the transmission plant in Windsor closed and thousands of workers went out the door, and thousands of other workers who were suppliers to those plants went out the door.

We believe we need to have a thoughtful strategy for helping the auto sector, and waiting for all the decisions to be made in Washington is not it. We need an auto plan with product guarantees and job guarantees, and we need some specifics from the McGuinty government. What is the McGuinty government's plan, other than more blah, blah, blah?

Hon. Michael Bryant: Jobs, jobs, jobs is what has been created as a result of the investments. That's what's created, and as a result of the investments made by this government, we're going to try and sustain those jobs.

This is a member who would like, on one occasion, to oppose the investments in the auto industry and then, on the next occasion, stand up and change his mind. Then, when the Premier of Ontario is the first leader to stand up and say that assistance needs to be provided for the auto industry, this member is against it. Today, of course, he's in favour of it.

Concrete is investments—it leverages billions of dollars and more investments. It has created and retained jobs. Our goal is to continue to create jobs in the long term, to retain the jobs during this unprecedented contraction and to manage this issue as the Premier has, with leadership ahead of the other leaders into the future so that we can have that vibrant auto industry, which—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Mr. Howard Hampton: To the Minister of Economic Development for the McGuinty government: What planet is the McGuinty government on? Manufacturing jobs are leaving Ontario at a faster rate than ever before. If you compare the manufacturing job loss in Ontario with what's happening in the United States on a per capita basis, it is far worse here in Ontario.

I want to quote Dave Cole, the head of the auto sector think tank—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Stop the clock. Please stand and withdraw.

Hon. Rick Bartolucci: I withdraw. Thank you.

Mr. Howard Hampton: Obviously, the McGuinty government doesn't want to hear about their sorry record in the loss of manufacturing jobs. I quote Dave Cole from the Center for Automotive Research: "Both Chrysler and GM are going to try to show a pretty comprehensive plan going forward that will put the company in the size that it needs to be to compete over the long term, and that could put some Canadian facilities at risk beyond what was already announced...."

I ask again: What's the McGuinty government done to ensure this doesn't happen?

Hon. Michael Bryant: Firstly, the member is wrong, and he knows that he's wrong, when he says that in fact what is taking place in Canada is somehow worse than what is taking place in the United States. That is complete nonsense. In fact, right now as we speak, the financial sector has been ranked number one by a number of—including the world economic council.

We have a situation right now that, thanks to the investments made by this government in advance of the recession—not in the belly of the recession, as this member suddenly found interest in these investments, but in advance of the recession—to create literally thousands and thousands of jobs and leverage billions of dollars of investment. This government has been providing those jump-starts to allow those companies to be in the position that they are in today.

That's why the CAW leadership has said from day one, for the last five years, that without this government's support, GM and Chrysler would be in a far, far, far worse position.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Howard Hampton: The McGuinty government would have us believe that General Motors closing their truck plant in Oshawa and putting thousands of workers on the street is somehow good news, that General Motors closing the transmission plant in Windsor and putting thousands of auto workers on the street is somehow good news. I've got news for the McGuinty government: This is not achievement that anybody would boast about.

But I want to ask again about something that is happening here and now. Our tool suppliers and mould-makers are warning that they stand to lose as much as $1.5 billion worth of business, and these losses will translate into the loss of tens of thousands of more good jobs.

Again, I ask the McGuinty government: We know your sorry record over the last couple of years. What concrete steps are you taking now to ensure this doesn't happen? Or is it simply more blah, blah, blah?

Hon. Michael Bryant: I'm reminded of the member's complete lack of support when in fact the investments were made in the auto sector. I'm also reminded of what the member said of the CAW leadership whom he pretends to support today. He said, "We could blow our brains out trying to talk to these guys. It's not worth it." That was the member's approach to the CAW then; today it's very different.

The member has acknowledged the billions of dollars of investments that have been made by this government on behalf of taxpayers to leverage billions more, to create jobs, to retain jobs.

What are we doing? We stepped forward first to work with management and labour to put together a system that will allow these companies to transform, while at the same time trying to avoid the enormous chaos that would result in the event that the government did not step forward. That has meant that the government is in a position to provide—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Final supplementary?

Mr. Howard Hampton: Again, I want to set the record straight. What the McGuinty government said was that you were going to wait for Washington to work it out. In fact, this minister went to Washington and couldn't even get anybody to meet with him. It was like a comedy sideshow.

Here is the reality: If General Motors makes major cuts in assembly operations, it will cause a disastrous domino effect. We simply can't allow that to happen. We need a made-in-Ontario, made-for-Ontario, auto plan now that includes product guarantees and job guarantees, and I can tell the minister that tens of thousands of workers and dozens of communities are wondering where it is.

What's it going to be? More recitation of things that haven't worked, by the McGuinty government? Or are we going to see an auto plan that is made in Ontario, for Ontario, and are we going to see it now?

Hon. Michael Bryant: I know the member is aware that this government has had an auto plan in place for the last five years. I know the member is aware that the Premier was the first leader of any national or subnational jurisdiction to stand up and say that obviously the government is going to need to step forward and provide assistance. We were in fact there and working with the auto industry even before any of that was taking place in Washington, DC.

As a result of that and as a result of the relationship that has been established between labour leadership, management leadership and this government, we are on a footing that will allow us—in the event that a viable plan is put in place that will allow us to make those investments to assist the industry—to continue to have a viable auto industry in the province of Ontario, something that the New Democrats have been against for the last five years.

ONTARIO LOTTERY AND

GAMING CORP.

Mr. Frank Klees: To the Minister of Infrastructure: The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. has been allowed to preside over the defrauding of Ontario consumers to the tune of some $200 million, and this government has done nothing.

Since André Marin's report confirming that there was widespread fraud in Ontario's lottery system, we have heard nothing from Dalton McGuinty, we have heard nothing from the minister responsible for the OLG: no firings, no resignations, no direction for further criminal investigations.

I'd like to ask the minister this: After years of the opposition calling for an investigation, for a committee of the Legislature to look into the scandal at the OLG, why have we not heard from the minister responsible, and what steps is the minister going to take to restore confidence in Ontario's lottery system?

Hon. George Smitherman: I think that the matter at hand is one that bears some illumination because the honourable member, I think, has misinterpreted a few things.

Firstly, the report that the honourable member quotes is a report that the lottery corporation itself commissioned, and it goes back 13 years.

Secondly, in the senior leadership roles at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., eight of the 10 senior managers are new, which does speak to a cleaning house with respect to the leadership that's provided there.

On the matter most recently in the news, I did have the opportunity to address this subject with the media in a scrum in Niagara Falls, where I clearly stated the necessity of continuing to move forward with initiatives that make these games more reliable and safer for consumers. The consumer has an important role to play in signing their tickets. By way of supplementary, I'll be addressing other helpful steps.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Frank Klees: So what we hear from the minister is that cleaning house simply means that you allow people whose fingers were all over the corruption in this crown agency are simply allowed to leave. My question to the minister is, who is he holding responsible? Who is being held accountable? What are the consequences of this fraudulent activity taking place in a multi-billion dollar crown agency? Is that this government's idea of holding people accountable, just simply hiding behind the Ombudsman of this province?

He, as minister responsible for this crown agency, should take responsibility and, by holding people accountable, demonstrate to the people of this province that they can have confidence. Will he agree to do that?

Hon. George Smitherman: We should hold him accountable because he was part of a government that the Deloitte report indicated was there while these practices were ongoing.

So what has happened? The Ombudsman, among others, has called questionable practices into account. Accordingly, the leadership—new leadership—at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. has moved forward to hire Deloitte to take a look, 13 years retrospectively, at the work that has gone on there. They've taken those findings and they have provided those to the Ontario Provincial Police so that if they do see a pattern there that warrants moving forward in a criminal context, then that vehicle is available.

The honourable member asks what has been done. Reports have been issued; Deloitte has been hired, and they're looking back 13 years. We're going to continue to get to the bottom of the matter through these sorts of examinations. He wants to know, what is the price that's been paid? Who has been held accountable? Eight of 10—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question?

MANUFACTURING JOBS

Mr. Paul Miller: My question is to the Minister of Economic Development. Minister, January's jobs numbers from Stats Canada show a collapsing job market, with 71,000 jobs lost in November, 36,000 of those in the manufacturing sector alone. Unless the Ontario government takes bold action now, hundreds of thousands more Ontarians will lose their jobs in the coming months—action like the Buy Ontario program, which would require 50% of the value of all transit equipment purchased in Ontario to be manufactured in Ontario. Will this minister include an aggressive Buy Ontario plan in the coming March budget or is he going to continue to sit on his hands and let Ontario's economy collapse?

Hon. Michael Bryant: I'm sure the member is aware of the facts, which involve for example the Move Ontario 2020 plan that will bring, it is estimated, 150,000 jobs to the province of Ontario.

I don't know if the member is standing up and advocating for protectionism; if he is, I disagree with him. The government's approach has been primarily to invest directly in businesses and obviously, in turn, in businesses and workers. We jump in. We assist those companies to jump-start them so that they can jump ahead of their competitors during the time in which the consolidation battles are taking place around the world. By doing that, just in the last year through the Next Generation of Jobs Fund, we have leveraged almost $1.5 billion of investments and retained or created thousands of jobs.

That is this government's strategy: to invest in this success and innovation so as to create more jobs.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Paul Miller: I for one can't wait until 2020. On Friday, Stats Canada reported that Ontario manufacturing sales declined 9.2% to $20.3 billion. This was the largest decline in Ontario's manufacturing history. Nothing short of a massive provincial stimulus program will prevent Ontario's economic recession from snowballing into something much, much worse. The NDP's five-point job plan detailed exactly what should be done.

Will the March budget include a job stimulus plan containing an aggressive Buy Ontario and a massive infrastructure program, or are hundreds of thousands more jobs going to disappear before this government takes action?

Hon. Michael Bryant: As I said before, this government created what this member would call stimulus programs. This government has been injecting massive stimulus, massive investments in businesses, and we didn't wait until a recession to do so. In fact, these investments were made before the recession took place. As a result of that, there have been literally, in the last year, over $1.5 billion of growth and investment by these companies and the retention or creation of literally thousands of jobs.

It's thanks to the innovation and ingenuity of these businesses, partnering with the government of Ontario, that in fact we do find there are opportunities—opportunities that, for these companies, are success stories in a time of enormous turbulence and enormous grim news, I recognize, but they are success stories nonetheless.

STUDENT ASSISTANCE

Mrs. Laura Albanese: My question is for the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. Minister, for 12 weeks, approximately 50,000 students at York University were shut out of classes due to a labour dispute. Many students and families in my community were affected by the strike, and I heard from many of my constituents who were frustrated and angry that the two sides could not come to an agreement.

Students returned to the classroom February 2, and since then have been busy catching up on their reading and assignments. Similar to the previous strike at York, the semester has been extended by four weeks in order to make up for lost time. This is good news for the students, who are eager to finish their courses without compromising the academic integrity of their studies, but it poses challenges for students who are now incurring additional costs.

Minister, the government is coming forward to extend payments to students receiving financial aid. Could you please elaborate on the action being taken?

Hon. John Milloy: I thank the honourable member for her question, and I think all members are pleased to know that students returned to York University to resume their classes on Monday, February 2.

As the honourable member mentioned in her question to me, the semester has been extended by the university until June 2 so that students are able to complete the required curriculum for their courses. Certainly the government recognizes that for many students there will be an increased financial burden in this extension. That's why the government will be extending payments to students receiving aid through OSAP to cover additional expenses for the longer study period. We estimate that about 13,000 York students will benefit from this OSAP extension. About 5,300 of these students will not be required to repay this assistance, as they will qualify for an Ontario student opportunity grant.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mrs. Laura Albanese: Thank you, Minister. York will be extending the semester so that all students will be able to finish their year, but this means an additional four weeks of study time. For many students, this, as you mentioned yourself, is a large burden. They will have to pay for extra living expenses, and this limits the amount of time they have to work in the summer to pay for next year's tuition.

Recently, York announced that students are able to drop a fall course or a full-year course and transfer those tuition fees to upcoming courses. This is something the student body was urging the university to do to help compensate students, and I am pleased to see that they were successful in getting it, but this is only one piece of the puzzle for the York students. Minister, what else can be done to help lessen the burden for students during that four-week extension?

Hon. John Milloy: As I mentioned, the government will be extending OSAP for eligible students, similar to what happened during the strike in 2000-01. I also would like to point out to the member that York University recently announced a $5-million bursary fund, which is available to those students who will need help due to the extension of the academic year. Students can also apply to the fund next year if they need additional financial assistance due to the shortened summer work period. Students will be allowed to drop a course and transfer those tuition fees to next year, as the honourable member mentioned.

Also, York will be extending housing in residence at no extra cost. Finally, the federal government also announced that they would be extending the Canada student loan for eligible students.

There's no doubt that the strike at York has been difficult for all students, but I'm confident that, with this package of financial aid, students will be able to complete their studies.

HEALTH CARE

Mrs. Elizabeth Witmer: My question is for the Minister of Health. Last year, on April 11, 2008, Mr. McGuinty promised, "I will not cut public services that Ontarians count on," yet every day we hear about that promise being broken as we learn of nurses being fired, hospital beds being closed, and ERs being turned into urgent care centres.

As you know, Minister, hospitals are in the midst of preparing for 2009-10. Mr. McGuinty told them they could expect an increase in operating funds of 2.1%. Will you confirm that hospitals will receive at least 2.1% in operating funding, despite the fact that costs are over 3%?

Hon. David Caplan: I think it's important to put a couple of facts on the table. We've seen hospital funding increase almost one third. Over the course of the last five years, that's over 7.5% per year, in fact, in support of our hospitals. That's double, and in some cases triple, the rate of inflation.

I would point out as well, as my colleague the finance minister does, that this member voted against those funding increases for our hospitals. In fact, the member highlights on a go-forward basis—and I have indicated to our hospital partners that they should plan and that they should do their work on the basis of the budget outlook, which they have previously been provided.

Of course, it will be up to the finance minister, when he unveils the budget here in the House, to confirm in-year. I'm not in a position to be able to specifically identify what will be in the budget for the coming year, as the member well knows. But I know that, for example—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Supplementary?

Mrs. Elizabeth Witmer: I'm shocked to hear the Minister of Health is not prepared to make a commitment to the hospitals. The reality is you have no plan for health care—you have never had a plan—and on a daily basis, whether it's the hospitals' long-term-care doctors or nurses, everybody is in suspended animation wondering what you're going to do now that your revenues are lower than you had anticipated in the days when you could merrily spend, spend, spend.

I say to you today, are you going to further jeopardize the health care system and cut more nurses—you've already now cut the hiring of the 9,000; you've postponed the hiring of the family health teams. Are you further going to jeopardize core health services?

Hon. David Caplan: I think it's important to remember that this member, when she was on this side of the House—she was a member of the government—cut 6,000 nursing positions. My colleagues in the third party cut 3,000.

The record of this government is quite different. So far, we've had over 10,000 nurses hired in the province of Ontario. When it comes to a commitment toward putting health resources into play, I'll compare the record of this government and this party to that member's any day of the week.

But in fact, it gets better. The avowed position of this member and her party is a further $3-billion cut to health care services with the elimination of the Ontario health premium. I reject that approach; Ontarians reject that approach. We need enhanced support, which we have seen, in our hospitals; we need enhanced resources and personnel on the front lines, as we have committed to and as we are providing. The premise of the—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question?

ONTARIO DISABILITY

SUPPORT PROGRAM

Mr. Michael Prue: My question is to the Minister of Children and Youth Services. Last November, I was asked to hand-deliver some 300 personal letters to Minister Matthews. They are part of a campaign called Disability Should Not Be a Poverty Life Sentence. To refresh her memory, I can quote a small segment of one letter from a Hamilton woman named Ann: "I am asking that ODSP rates be raised ... so that a single person may receive roughly the same amount as a senior living on OAS, and that the rates be fixed to inflation."

Why have the minister and her office not seen fit to answer even one of these 300 letters?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Of course I am committed to ensuring that people with disabilities have the ability to fully participate in the economic fabric of our communities. That's why we've made significant changes to ODSP, so that people on ODSP who are capable of earning at least some income now keep much more of what they're able to earn than they were under the previous government.

We've made other changes to ODSP that are all about encouraging them to be in employment and to participate in our community. We will continue to make those changes. We are very committed to reducing poverty for all Ontarians, and people with disabilities are very much part of that.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Michael Prue: I listened to the minister and not once did she say that she or her office even attempted to answer these 300 letters. It saddens me to think that for three months, this government cannot be bothered to respond to 300 Ontarians with disabilities who took the time to write.

As one of those writers from Richmond Hill wrote, "People with disabilities require sufficient income to live with respect and dignity—the current ODSP affords neither." Why does this government continue to keep our disabled community far below the poverty line, and more importantly, why won't these letters be answered?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I will certainly investigate to see why those letters have not been answered. Certainly it is our practice in my office to answer our correspondence in a timely way, so I do undertake to look into that. I would very much like to refer this answer, though, to the Minister of Community and Social Services.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): New question.

TEACHERS' COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

Mr. Bob Delaney: My question is for the Minister of Education. Parents around the province, and especially in our western Mississauga communities of Streetsville, Meadowvale, Lisgar and Churchill Meadows, were relieved to hear the news that the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario and the Ontario Public School Boards' Association have decided to put students first and have accepted the ministry's final offer.

As I understand it, the new $700-million investment means fair salary increases, more preparation time, smaller class sizes, more grades 4 to 8 teachers, more time to do report cards, improved working conditions for occasional teachers and guaranteed enhancement to benefits. But some of my constituents have asked why it took so long to reach this agreement. What can the minister say to the parents who waited for this agreement to happen?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: First of all, I'd like to say how pleased we are that ETFO and OPSBA have decided to accept this agreement and now can go to the local tables and begin to finalize those local agreements. Both parties deserve high praise for doing that.

We acted to head off potential province-wide labour disruption during a time of economic downturn. As you know, the conversation at the provincial level between ETFO and OPSBA broke down in December. The local discussions were not going smoothly. What was really important for me was that kids in our classrooms wouldn't have to deal with disruption because the adults couldn't come to an agreement. That's why we stepped in. We put a revised offer on the table and we were able to have both parties come to that agreement.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Bob Delaney: A province-wide strike would have led to great hardship for parents who struggle to care for their kids in these very uncertain economic times. I was thinking about the threat of teachers' strikes the other day as I read an editorial in Saturday's Toronto Star. The editorial stated that Ontario presided over "a badly flawed, two-tier bargaining structure that makes it hard to negotiate meaningful trade-offs....

"School boards are legally responsible for signing final contracts with their teachers' unions but—lacking tax powers—they don't have a large say in money issues dealt with at the" bargaining "table. That can make local bargaining exceedingly difficult ... the system would likely work better with Ontario-wide bargaining on all issues."

Minister, is our education labour process "badly flawed"?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: First of all, I'd like to say that I am very proud of the relationships that this government has built with employee groups in the education sector. It's been a very strong relationship and because of that, more than a year ago, we were able to put in place a systematic process that, albeit informal, allowed every employee group and every employer in the education sector to come together and to work out a provincial framework. There was one of those conversations that didn't succeed but every other provincial framework was in place within the time period allotted.

There is no perfect bargaining process. What we are doing is building on processes that began when the party opposite changed the rules around provincial funding. So what we've been doing is working at the provincial level, I believe, in the role of local school boards. I don't think that decisions can be made holus-bolus—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

HEALTH CARE

Mr. Robert Bailey: My question is for the Minister of Health. Minister, as you will know, recently the Erie St. Clair LHIN in my riding of Sarnia—Lambton initiated a review of the emergency departments in its LHIN. This report was made public a few weeks ago, and the community of Petrolia in Sarnia—Lambton was shocked to learn that these consultants, after spending less than two whole hours in Petrolia, have recommended the downgrading of the emergency department of CEE hospital in Petrolia to an urgent care ward.

They have recommended this despite overwhelming evidence that the emergency department at the CEE hospital is an important part of the delivery of rural health care services in Lambton county.

Minister, do you agree with taking away the emergency room designation at CEE hospital?

Hon. David Caplan: I think it's important to remember that local health integration networks are tasked with local health planning, and that's why they commissioned the Hay Group to look at all of the hospitals and what they should be able to do to find ways to make the system work better for the community that it serves.

I know for example that, as the member mentions, the report was put out for a period of consultation to be able to talk to community residents. This is rather unique to members of the Conservative Party, who issued no consultation and did no work with local communities when it came to configuring and changing the health care system.

I was really encouraged when Chatham—Kent mayor Randy Hope said, "We need to remember that all we have so far is a consultant's report. No decision has been taken by the health integration network. We have agreed that the best way forward is to get all parties together and hold an informed discussion. That's exactly what we're"—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Supplementary?

Mr. Robert Bailey: Minister, the LHIN that was appointed by your government has caused a health care crisis in central Lambton county, and I would urge the members of the government party that coming soon to a LHIN near you is a study that will affect your rural hospitals. No one in my community trusts the LHIN to make a fair and honest decision about CEE hospital.

Recently, six doctors in Petrolia have said they will resign their hospital privileges as of June 30 if they don't have a positive response, unless the LHIN agrees to keep the emergency department open. Minister, will you assure the people of central Lambton county that CEE hospital will be able to keep its emergency room designation and not put health care in central Lambton in—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Minister?

Hon. David Caplan: I think it's important to remember the fact that this is out for consultation, that they are in the midst of it. I don't think it's incumbent to presuppose what the results of those discussions are going to be. I can tell you that it is, in my feeling, incumbent on all elected officials, community leaders and partners in our health care system to focus on how best to engage the public during the process.

I think it's important to point out to the member that our government has in fact supported, and will continue to support, the Bluewater Health system. Base funding, for example, for Bluewater Health has increased by $15 million since 2003. That's an almost 16% increase. Should the member and his colleagues be able to make the kinds of changes to cut health care by $3 billion in the province of Ontario, I shudder to think what effect that would have, not only on Bluewater—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

MINISTRY OF THE

ATTORNEY GENERAL

Mr. Peter Kormos: My question is to the Attorney General. Where was the Attorney General while high-priced Bay Street law firms were running up a $23.4-million tab in order to win a $3.5-million lawsuit?

Hon. Christopher Bentley: Well, for the first several years I was still practising law in London, Ontario.

The fact of the matter is, that case cost too much and the government can do better, so we've already taken steps.

We started by reforming the civil justice system. Beginning January 1, 2010, there will be streamlined procedures for all types of cases, making justice more accessible and more affordable.

Secondly, where we do need to retain lawyers, we're doing it less with outside counsel; we're twinning our own counsel with any outside counsel that we retain; and there is a capping of fees wherever possible.

We've already taken the steps to deal with those issues.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Peter Kormos: This has been a notorious lawsuit that's been written about and reported on in all the major media. The fact is that for the last five years it has been this government in charge of the office down on Bay Street, the Ministry of the Attorney General. It has been during their watch that there has been a total absence of oversight, of case management, of monitoring. Either the ministry and the minister were asleep at the switch, or he was simply all too comfortable letting his Bay Street friends bill at 850 bucks an hour.

Hon. Christopher Bentley: The reason we took the case back in-house from the private counsel was to make sure that we could most effectively manage the costs, and we're taking those steps more frequently with cases than we ever did in the past.

There is a proceeding before the courts at the moment to recover the costs from the unsuccessful party in the litigation. So we are taking steps to recover the costs.

For future cases, I say to all that we retain outside lawyers less frequently; that where we do, we twin them with our own; and that where we have to retain outside counsel, we're taking whatever steps we can—

Interjection.

Hon. Christopher Bentley: —to make sure that the case that started under the Tories—and thanks for the heckle—doesn't get out of control as it did.

PUBLIC TRANSIT

Mr. Kevin Daniel Flynn: I've got a question today for the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure.

Minister, Ontario is facing some really tough economic challenges, and it's really important that every public dollar we spend is spent wisely and that it helps Ontario's families. Investments in public transit, especially, are very important. They're an important way to help stimulate the economy, they help the environment, and they help build the infrastructure that Ontario needs for the 21st century.

I understand the Premier and the Prime Minister made a very important announcement this morning in Etobicoke—Lakeshore. Minister, can you please let the House know what this announcement was?

Hon. George Smitherman: We heard people making some reference earlier today to the Premier, and I was very, very pleased to be able to tell members of the House that the Premier and the Prime Minister were participating today in an important capital infrastructure investment this time related to GO Transit.

Interjection.

To quote the Premier, "More efficient, reliable, and sustainable commuter transit will also help the greater Toronto area attract and keep the jobs of the future."

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Kevin Daniel Flynn: That's certainly wonderful news for the people of Oakville. It's the sort of investment that Ontario needs, and it's going to strengthen our economy. It's also only part of the overall plan that we have to expand public transit in the greater Golden Horseshoe area.

Minister, while Ontario needs these investments in public transit, it's also important for us to invest further in other infrastructure and build Ontario's economic backbone, as well. It's going to help us emerge from this difficult economic situation as an even stronger province.

Minister, can you tell us your other plans for how you're going to continue to invest in Ontario's important public infrastructure?

Hon. George Smitherman: The Minister of Transportation will add further illumination today.

Hon. James J. Bradley: As part of the $500-million announcement that was made by the Prime Minister and Premier today, we will know that we have thousands upon thousands of jobs which are going to be created as a result of this in Ajax, Aurora, Mount Pleasant, Bramalea, Centennial, Unionville, Cooksville, Erindale, Oakville, Markham, Pickering and Rouge Hill. In addition to that, the Hamilton Junction project, which is a $75.5-million rail-to-rail grade separation project, will increase the reliability and improve GO train service. So we have an additional $250 million in GO Transit improvements in addition to that.

You will see that what we are doing is building upon what we have already done in terms of expanding GO service, and we'll be doing even more while creating thousands upon thousands of jobs in this province—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS

Mrs. Joyce Savoline: To the Deputy Premier: Ted Kindos has been playing a sick game of who's on first and what's on second, as a result of this government's contradictory approach to tobacco versus marijuana smoke. Ted Kindos is the owner of Gator Ted's in Burlington and has been told by the Ontario Human Rights Commission that he must permit a patron to smoke marijuana on his premises, and yet another Ontario division, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission, has also told him he will be shut down if he allows this person to light up.

Minister, can you tell us who is on first at Gator Ted's? Is it the AGC or the HRC, because "I don't know" is on third and Ted is in the batting cage right now.

Hon. George Smitherman: To the Minister of Government Services.

Hon. Ted McMeekin: Thank you very much for the question. I know Gator Ted. He runs an establishment in my hometown. He's a wonderful fellow who works very, very hard to try to make ends meet. He's caught between, sadly, a regulatory rock and a hard place. This government is determined to make sure that we find a way to support Ted Kindos and small business people like Ted Kindos. I can't comment on the human rights appeal, and I wouldn't want to, but I do want to provide this House with assurance that being caught between a regulatory rock and a hard place is something that this government won't stand for, and we'll make sure that this is sorted out.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mrs. Joyce Savoline: It was a year ago that I presented a private member's bill to avoid just this kind of situation, and your government shut it down. With all due respect, you and your government continue to make a mockery of our legislative system with bills that permit marijuana but ban tobacco smoke. In committee, your government gave the lame explanation that it was premature to ban marijuana with the same brush as tobacco. Gator Ted is a prime example of your incompetence, with your right hand never knowing what your left hand is doing.

It is a very simple question, Mr. Minister: Why should Gator Ted listen to anybody in this case? He's trying to run a successful business and your government rules are breaking that down.

Hon. Ted McMeekin: Simply put, municipal, provincial and federal laws simply didn't contemplate the scenario of somebody smoking marijuana on licensed premises. The Liquor Licence Act is clear with respect to controlled substances. That, obviously, is in conflict. We've been in touch with Health Canada, which has been offering us some advice. Again, I'm speaking quite independently of the human rights case. Those who need medical marijuana obviously to alleviate pain and discomfort—that is something that we understand and are sympathetic with. Health Canada advice to those who need medical marijuana is to use their discretion and avoid smoking marijuana in public places.

We'll get to the bottom of this and we'll do it in a way that protects small business people in the province of Ontario.

TOURISM

Mr. Paul Miller: My question is to the Minister of Tourism. Last week, the minister released a $4-million tourism report that took almost a year to produce. The good people in Haliburton do not need a report to tell them that the tourism sector is struggling. They've seen a number of resorts close: the Maple Sands Resort, the Lochaven Inn, the Birch Point Lodge, Cherokee Resort, and the list goes on. How does this government's $4-million report assist Haliburton's battered tourism sector, and what are you going to do about it now?

Hon. Monique M. Smith: I'm delighted to have an opportunity to talk about the competitiveness study, which was released last Wednesday at the AGO. First off, I want to thank Greg Sorbara, the member for Vaughan, who did such an incredible job in his consultations across the province. As part of his consultations, he met with over 500 stakeholders and he held 13 regional meetings. We also retained experts and produced 13 studies that will help to inform our policy in tourism moving forward.

What he's done with his competitiveness report is to create a 10-year plan that outlines some great initiatives and ideas for our tourism sector. We—the government—are very proud of this competitiveness study. It was requested by the industry and we responded through the budget last year in 2008. As part of the budget response, we also attached $8 million to the study. Not all that money has been spent, but Mr. Sorbara has done an excellent job in providing a road map to move the industry forward.

USE OF QUESTION PERIOD

Mr. Jerry J. Ouellette: On a point of order, Mr. Speaker: I would ask for a ruling to the question stated by the member for Oakville, which was answered by the Minister of Infrastructure and the supplementary answered by the Minister of Transportation. Under the current rules, there is a review of precedent that is set that no ministerial announcements should be made during question period. It appears that the GO Transit announcement was actually an announcement that was taking place in the Legislature. I would ask you to review on that.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Minister?

Hon. George Smitherman: I accept the point, to some extent, that the honourable member is making. At the time that this was raised in the Legislature it had long since passed its formal announcement made by the Prime Minister and the Premier in Etobicoke earlier this morning.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I thank the honourable members for their interjections on this issue. I will undertake a review of the Hansard and look at the Hansard in relation to the announcement this morning and will report back to the House.

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): There was a point of order earlier and it made me forget to do something, and that was introduction of guests.

Hon. Christopher Bentley: In the gallery over here—the member for Thunder Bay—Atikokan has just left. He is there with his son and three guests. They're here, and I think they're playing in a hockey tournament, but I don't have all the details. I'm pretty sure that if I am allowed to think for just two seconds, the names are going to come to me, but if not, if I could pass this introduction—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): The member for Thunder Bay—Atikokan.

Mr. Bill Mauro: I thank everybody who had a hand in that delay. I would like to have the opportunity to introduce to the Legislature, visiting from the great riding of Thunder Bay—Atikokan, first of all my son Christian Mauro, and his buddies Ryan Gibson, Colin Brescasin and Paul Benvenutto. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you to the member for London West as well.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): This House stands recessed until 3 this afternoon.

The House recessed from 1137 to 1500.

ROYAL ASSENT /

SANCTION ROYALE

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I beg to inform the House that in the name of Her Majesty the Queen, Her Honour the Administrator has been pleased to assent to a certain bill.

The Deputy Clerk (Mr. Todd Decker): The following is the title of a bill to which Her Honour did assent:

Bill 145,

An Act to resolve labour disputes between York University and Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 3903 / Projet de loi 145, Loi visant à régler les conflits de travail entre l'Université York et la

section locale 3903 du Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique.

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

Mr. Yasir Naqvi: It is my honour to introduce and welcome Rabbi Reuven Bulka, a spiritual force in our great city of Ottawa, and his wife, Leah Bulka, to Queen's Park. Welcome.

Mr. Jim Brownell: It gives me honour this afternoon to welcome a former student of mine, now a student at Algonquin College in Ottawa, taking the computer systems technician program: Kevin Cumming from Long Sault.

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

HEALTH CARE

Mrs. Joyce Savoline: I rise in the House today to speak for the health care needs of the Burlington community. This morning, Minister Caplan stood in his place and said, "It's important to remember that local health integration networks are tasked with local health planning, and that's why they commissioned the Hay Group to look at all of the hospitals and what they should be able to do to find ways to make the system work better for the community that it serves." Well, I hate to be the one who bursts the minister's bubble, but his administration has taken the "local" out of LHINs.

Hospitals and health care providers are having great difficulty getting the LHINs to take into account local issues, and that chain continues unbroken right into the minister's office.

LHINs, like the Ontario Public School Boards' Association, were created by this government to deflect criticism away from the minister's responsibilities. They are in fact the new scapegoats of the education and health ministers. It is clear, as Mr. McGuinty literally begins to distance himself from the press, that his government is incapable of operating an accountable and transparent administration for the benefit of all the taxpayers of Ontario, and it always is the hard-working Ontarians who are left to suffer.

ONTARIO BUDGET

Mr. Reza Moridi: I rise here today to present to the Legislature the results of my prebudget consultation held throughout my riding of Richmond Hill. The democratic process is not limited to elections. We need to maintain an ongoing dialogue with our constituents. During December and January, several outreach initiatives were undertaken to encourage residents to participate in providing their thoughts and ideas for the upcoming provincial budget. The response from my constituents has been gratifying and I can say that, based on what my constituents have said, they understand the economic challenges that we are facing today.

The following questions were asked, and here are the responses:

Should the province consider going into a deficit for this budget? Fifty-six per cent answered yes; 35% said no.

In what area would you encourage the Minister of Finance to spend? Answers were infrastructure, health care, education and training.

What should be the provincial government's top three priorities for Richmond Hill? Answers were infrastructure, economic stimulus and health care.

Finally, I would like to thank my constituents for taking the time to provide me with their suggestions and insight. It is my belief that by involving the constituents we can move closer to meeting the needs of all Ontarians.

TERMINATION AND SEVERANCE PAYMENTS

Mr. Norman W. Sterling: Last Saturday morning I met with representatives from the recently severed Nortel employees group. These are highly skilled workers and professionals who, like many Ontarians, have lost their jobs. However, between when these workers were originally severed and when they were due to receive their severance payments, Nortel went into bankruptcy protection on January 14. As a result, these approximately 300 individuals who were expecting severance payments are now scrambling to figure out how to pay their bills and mortgages.

To make matters worse, I understand that Nortel is not co-operating in providing records of employment, termination notices and other documentation these people need to apply for employment insurance or pension benefits.

I recognize that the bankruptcy laws come under the federal Parliament. However, the Minister of Labour has the power and must ensure that Nortel does provide information and documentation that these workers need as soon as possible. He must act on their behalf, and there is no reason for any delay.

TEACHERS

While we know how many teacher-librarians we have, we sometimes don't know whether those few dollars that might be going to teacher-librarians are used for that purpose. While we know how many physical education teachers there are, we absolutely have no clue how much of our money is going for special ed and how many of our dollars are used for ESL. There is a complete lack of transparency, something Liberals talked about before 2003 and something we see very little of today.

They love to talk about the idea of having annual budget reviews of our educational system, and that promise is no longer there. Now more than ever, we need transparency about how our dollars are being spent. Our parents deserve to know, politicians deserve to know, and that's what I hope the government will move to some day.

MARY WELSH

Mr. Dave Levac: On January 22 at Queen's Park, I was able to join many to observe the investiture of the Order of Ontario, in which a constituent from Brant, Ms. Mary Welsh of Brantford, was appointed and invested by the Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable David C. Onley.

As all of you are aware, the Order of Ontario is the province's highest official honour bestowed to an individual citizen in recognition of service of the greatest distinction and of singular excellence in any field of endeavour. Each year, approximately 25 individuals are invested, and Mary Welsh, who was recognized for nearly 40 years of dedication to numerous community and civic contributions, was one of the distinguished individuals bestowed with this award for this year.

Mary Welsh, who is still going strong, is a long-time resident of Brantford, a former educator, a former city councillor, a former trustee and former board chair, and an entrepreneur. She was the driving force behind the creation of the Brant Animal Aid Foundation and the Brant Waterways Foundation. Most recently, she founded the BCI and VS Alumni Association, established Save BCI, and was helpful in securing a $23.9-million rebuild of BCI right on Brant Avenue. This year, she promoted a fundraiser for Brant Waterways that received $30,000 for improvement and expansion of the adjacent water systems. This woman is amazing.

The award would not have been possible if it were not for the nominations of long-time contributors Paul Emerson, Paul Randolf, former MP Jane Stewart, and Bonnie Blunt. We congratulate Mary on becoming an Order of Ontario recipient.

PREMIER OF ONTARIO

Mr. Ted Chudleigh: I rise to talk about space. Mr. McGuinty wants five feet of space between himself and the Queen's Park reporters. They're quite a vicious group, I understand. I guess the heat of the recession is becoming too much to handle. Mr. McGuinty also seems to be putting a lot of space between himself and his responsibilities. He gives lip service to our reeling economy, but when it comes to getting results, there's only hot air. Ontario has so much potential, so much space to grow, yet the McGuinty Liberals keep cramming that space full of red tape and bans, stifling our creative entrepreneurial spirit.

When we wanted answers after a long break filled with scandals, boondoggles and more economic devastation, Mr. McGuinty found a way to put some serious space between himself and the Legislature: about 50 kilometres' worth of space, in fact.

It's no wonder that Mr. McGuinty is afraid of the press gallery these days. Though small in number, they are asking some pretty tough questions, and the predictable, scripted answers aren't cutting it anymore. A five-foot buffer might make the Premier feel safe, but to others it reeks of insecurity. Ontario needs a strong leader, not one who seems lost in space.

CYCLONE MANUFACTURING

Mr. Bob Delaney: In January, the Premier visited Cyclone Manufacturing in Meadowvale, in western Mississauga, to announce that Ontario is investing $7.7 million during the next five years to support innovation in our western Mississauga manufacturing community.

Cyclone Manufacturing is a state-of-the-art firm in the manufacturing industry. They make precision parts for such aerospace manufacturers as Boeing, Bombardier and Embraer. Cyclone uses new materials and computerized custom fabrication techniques to make lighter-weight aircraft parts. These parts allow aircraft to be lighter, stronger and more fuel-efficient, lowering costs for airlines and reducing emissions.

With Ontario's help, Cyclone Manufacturing is getting results—133 new jobs in Mississauga—by investing in new technology to improve its products and develop new business. During the next five years, Cyclone plans to spend $50 million to develop their products and technology. The Next Generation of Jobs Fund will help Cyclone further boost innovation in Ontario, create more well-paid, high-tech jobs in western Mississauga and sustain our region's economic activity that is even now extending Credit Valley Hospital through its phase II expansion and improving public transportation through more train capacity on the Milton GO line.

KINDNESS WEEK

Mr. Yasir Naqvi: February 16 to 22 is Kindness Week in Ottawa. Started in 2008 by Rabbi Reuven Bulka, Kindness Week hopes to strengthen a culture of compassion and kindness that will prevail over pessimism and cynicism. Kindness Week hopes to inspire random acts of kindness by showing the profound impact even the smallest kind act can have on a community.

The Kindness Committee is asking everyone in Ottawa to choose to be kind. Acts can be as simple as reaching out to someone less fortunate or just saying thank you to a friend.

One of the driving tools behind Kindness Week is the kindness card, which carries the "pay it forward" message. More than 200,000 cards will be distributed throughout the community at events, in schools, workplaces and restaurants by the Kindness Crew. Card recipients are encouraged to do something kind and then leave the card behind. Ottawa police officers will be handing out kindness citations to individuals caught being kind during Kindness Week. Also, the Drive for Drivers Project is recruiting reliable, enthusiastic volunteer drivers to provide transportation services for seniors and adults with disabilities to attend their essential medical appointments.

Kindness Week is made possible thanks to a committee of volunteers from government, not-for-profit, corporate, education, and restaurant and hospitality sectors, and is facilitated by United Way/Centraide Ottawa.

I want to encourage all members to bring Kindness Week back to their ridings and help make every community in Ontario a kinder and friendlier place.

MICHAEL FREEMAN

Mr. Jeff Leal: On Wednesday, January 7, 2009, I was saddened to attend the funeral of another soldier from Peterborough who lost his life while serving his country. Private officer Michael B. Freeman died on December 26, 2008, while on duty with the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan. On January 7, our community gathered to celebrate his life and acknowledge the tremendous sacrifice made by private officer Michael Freeman.

Michael, like most young men growing up in Peterborough, had a love for the outdoors. As Michael matured, he joined the air cadets with dreams of becoming a pilot, but changed his mind in 2005 and joined the army.

Private officer Michael Freeman approached life with a generous heart and humour. He was admired by all who knew him and will be greatly missed.

As I sat at this young man's funeral, I felt great pride for the soldiers from Peterborough who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. I know that everyone at the funeral shared my sense of pride.

At the age of 28, private officer Michael Freeman understood the need to protect those unable to defend themselves. He, like all of our soldiers serving abroad, rose to the challenges of defending the rights of others. They go to battle willingly, without regard to their own safety. I am humbled by their bravery and their commitment to improve the lives of others.

REPORTS BY COMMITTEES

STANDING COMMITTEE ON

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS

Mr. Norman W. Sterling: I beg leave to present a report on Archives of Ontario and information storage and retrieval services from the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and move the adoption of its recommendations.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Mr. Sterling presents the committee's report and moves the adoption of its recommendations. Does the member wish to make a brief statement?

Mr. Norman W. Sterling: For the students who are with us today, I chair a committee called the public accounts committee, which deals with the Auditor General's report each year. We call witnesses in front of us and examine the auditor's recommendations to improve, in this case, the public archives of Ontario.

In this case, the auditor found that far too many bureaucrats, people working in the government, were sending most of their files to the Archives of Ontario, instead of going through those files and eliminating things that didn't need to be kept. As a consequence, the archives have been overwhelmed with boxes and boxes of records which have very, very little historic importance—to how the government of Ontario came to decisions and the history of Ontario.

Our committee, after reviewing the report as well as calling the archivists of Ontario in front of us, made several recommendations mostly pointed at the bureaucracy to do a better job of cleaning out those records before they send them on to the archives.

My committee works into a non-partisan way. Most committees in the Ontario Legislature have a partisan aspect to them: One party takes one position, and the other party takes the other position. In this particular committee, the public accounts committee, we have issued about 50 reports over the last five years, and on none of those reports has there been a dissenting opinion—any one party or any one member of the committee going against what the committee decides as a whole.

I think it's one of the committees that should be looked at in the future, in terms of emulating how politicians from all parties can come to a common conclusion which will improve the bureaucracy, the administration, of Ontario government for the future, ultimately benefiting the people of Ontario and the students of Ontario as well.

I move adjournment of the debate.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Debate adjourned.

STANDING COMMITTEE ON

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS

Mr. Norman W. Sterling: I beg leave to present a report on outbreak preparedness and management from the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and move the adoption of its recommendations.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Mr. Sterling presents the committee's report and moves the adoption of its recommendations. Does the member wish to make a brief statement?

Mr. Norman W. Sterling: This, again, was part of the Auditor General's 2007 annual report. It dealt with how the government was doing with regard to preparing for an influenza pandemic, and if that happens to Ontario, what is the plan that we will have for the people of Ontario?

The committee was most interested to find out that Ontario actually, in comparison to other provinces and states in the United States, has progressed fairly well along the way with regard to formulating a plan. However, that plan is not yet public. Part of the concern of the committee is that if a pandemic did hit today, people would not know what the terms and the details of that plan might or might not be.

As well, we made about 12 different recommendations, and two of those recommendations dealt with some of the details that are involved. For instance, we have asked the Ministry of Health to report on steps taken to identify isolation areas where health care workers might go if they were dealing with people who had this influenza pandemic, because if you get an influenza pandemic occurring here in the province, it will spread very, very quickly and health care workers will be affected. We don't think that those health care workers should go home to their families after being infected. Therefore, we think that the Ministry of Health should be looking at that particular problem.

As well, we also believe that many people would be turned away, during an influenza pandemic, from critical care from the hospitals. Those people who are turned away no doubt will come to MPPs' offices and say, "What do I do next?" The only answer that we received from the Ministry of Health was, "Go to another hospital." Well, that just makes lines longer and longer. Therefore, the committee has recommended to the ministry to investigate the feasibility of creating alternatives for care, other than critical care, at our hospitals across the province of Ontario.

We make several recommendations in this report to ensure that school boards are consulted and know what the plans are and that the people who are responsible for implementing a plan in any community will share those with the schools as well.

I'm proud of the work that the committee did on both of these reports, and I would adjourn the debate at this time.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Is it the pleasure of the House the motion carry? Carried.

Debate adjourned.

MOTIONS

PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BUSINESS

Hon. Monique M. Smith: Mr. Speaker, I believe we have unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice regarding private members' public business.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Agreed? Agreed.

Hon. Monique M. Smith: I move that, notwithstanding standing order 98(g), the requirement for notice be waived with respect to ballot items 68, 70, 71 and 72.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Motion agreed to.

PETITIONS

HEALTH CARE

Mr. Robert Bailey: "To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care should recognize the importance of rural health care in Ontario; and

"Whereas the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network commissioned a report by the Hay Group that recommends the downgrading of the emergency room at the Charlotte Eleanor Englehart (CEE) Hospital in Petrolia to an urgent-care ward; and

"Whereas, if accepted, that recommendation would increase the demand on emergency rooms in Sarnia; and

"Whereas, as of today, many patients are already redirected from Sarnia to the Petrolia emergency room for medical care; and

"Whereas the Petrolia medical community has stated that the loss of this emergency room will result in the loss of many of our local doctors; and

"Whereas Petrolia's retirement and nursing home communities are dependent on easy access to the CEE hospital;

"Therefore we, the undersigned petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to urge the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network to completely reject the report of the Hay Group and leave the emergency room designation at Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital in Petrolia."

I agree with the petition and I add my name to it.

BATHURST HEIGHTS

ADULT LEARNING CENTRE

Mr. Mike Colle: I was going to introduce the students and staff before I read our petition from Bais Brucha Elementary School. The students have just left, but they were welcome here. Thank you.

My petition is also from the students of Bathurst Heights, and it reads:

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas there are over 2,000 adult ESL students being served by the Bathurst Heights Adult Learning Centre, operated by the Toronto District School Board, in partnership with the province of Ontario; and

"Whereas newcomers in Toronto, and in the Lawrence Heights area, need the Bathurst Heights Adult Learning Centre so they can succeed in their career opportunities; and

"Whereas the proposed revitalization of Lawrence Heights threatens the existence of the centre;

"Therefore we, the undersigned, demand that any revitalization of Lawrence Heights include a newcomer centre and ensure that the Bathurst Heights centre continues to exist in the present location."

I support the petition and affix my name to it.

TUITION

Mr. Jim Wilson: I want to thank Nora Loreto and Shelley Melanson of the Canadian Federation of Students for sending this petition to me.

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas undergraduate tuition fees in Ontario have increased by 195% since 1990 and are the third-highest in all of the provinces in Canada; and

"Whereas average student debt in Ontario has skyrocketed by 250% in the last 15 years to over $25,000 for four years of study; and

"Whereas international students pay three to four times more for the same education, and domestic students in professional programs such as law or medicine pay as much tuition as $20,000 per year; and

"Whereas 70% of new jobs require post-secondary education, and fees reduce the opportunity for many low- and middle-income families while magnifying barriers for aboriginal, rural, racialized and other marginalized students; and

"Whereas Ontario currently provides the lowest per capita funding for post-secondary education in Canada, while many countries fully fund higher education and charge little or no fees for college and university; and

"Whereas public opinion polls show that nearly three quarters of Ontarians think the government's Reaching Higher framework for tuition fee increases of 20% to 36% over four years is unfair;

"Therefore we, the undersigned, support the Canadian Federation of Students' call to immediately drop tuition fees to 2004 levels and petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to introduce a new framework that:

"

(1) Reduces tuition and ancillary fees annually for students.

"

(2) Converts a portion of every student loan into a grant.

"

(3) Increases per student funding above the national average."

I agree with this petition and I've signed it.

CHILD CUSTODY

Mr. Jim Brownell: I have a petition from a number of residents from the city of Cornwall.

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"We, the people of Ontario, deserve and have the right to request an amendment to the Children's Law Reform Act to emphasize the importance of children's relationships with their parents and grandparents;

"Whereas subsection 20(2.1) requires parents and others with custody of children to refrain from unreasonably placing obstacles to personal relations between the children and their grandparents; and

"Whereas subsection 24(2) contains a list of matters that a court must consider when determining the best interests of a child. The bill amends that subsection to include a specific reference to the importance of maintaining emotional ties between children and grandparents; and

"Whereas subsection 24(2.1) requires a court that is considering custody of or access to a child to give effect to the principle that a child should have as much contact with each parent and grandparent as is consistent with the best interests of the child; and

"Whereas subsection 24(2.2) requires a court that is considering custody of a child to take into consideration each applicant's willingness to facilitate as much contact between the child and each parent and grandparent as is consistent with the best interests of the child;

"We, the undersigned, hereby petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to amend the Children's Law Reform Act as above to emphasize the importance of children's relationships with their parents and grandparents."

As I agree with this, I'll sign it and send it to the clerks' table.

HOSPITAL FUNDING

Mr. Norm Miller: I have a petition with regard to the Burk's Falls health centre signed by, I think, just about everyone in Burk's Falls, and it reads:

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas the Burk's Falls and District Health Centre provides vital health services for residents of Burk's Falls and the Almaguin Highlands of all ages, as well as seasonal residents and tourists; and

"Whereas the health centre helps to reduce demand on the Huntsville hospital emergency room; and

"Whereas the operating budget for Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare is insufficient to meet the growing demand for service in the communities of Muskoka—East Parry Sound; and

"Whereas budget pressures could jeopardize continued operation of the Burk's Falls health centre.

"Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

"That the McGuinty government and Minister of Health provide adequate increases in the operating budget of Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare to maintain current health services, including those provided by the Burk's Falls health centre."

I support this petition and have affixed my signature to it.

HOSPITAL FUNDING

Mr. Bob Delaney: It's good to be back. I have a petition to the Ontario Legislative Assembly. I suspect you may have heard it once or twice. I would like to thank Geoff Dugas of Tacc Drive in Churchill Meadows, my own neighbourhood in Mississauga, for having accumulated these signatures. It reads as follows:

"Whereas wait times for access to surgical procedures in the western GTA area served by the Mississauga Halton LHIN are growing despite the vigorous capital project activity at the hospitals within the Mississauga Halton LHIN boundaries; and

"Whereas 'day surgery' procedures could be performed in an off-site facility, thus greatly increasing the ability of surgeons to perform more procedures, alleviating wait times for patients, and freeing up operating theatre space in hospitals for more complex procedures that may require post-operative intensive care unit support and a longer length of stay in hospital;

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

"That the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care allocate funds in its 2008-09 capital budget to begin the planning and construction of an ambulatory surgery centre located in western Mississauga to serve the Mississauga-Halton area and to enable greater access to 'day surgery' procedures that comprise about four fifths of all surgical procedures performed."

I am pleased to sign and support this petition and to ask page Jordan to carry it for me.

ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS

Mr. Ernie Hardeman: I have a petition here that was sent to me by John and Anna Van Dyk of RR 2, Tavistock. It is to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

"Whereas the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Honourable Leona Dombrowsky, has publicly stated that she 'absolutely' wants to help the beginning and new entrants to agriculture; and

"Whereas beginning and expanding farmers are going to be important in the coming decade, as a record number of producers are expected to leave the industry; and

"Whereas the safety net payments—i.e., Ontario cattle, hog and horticulture payments—are based on historical averages, and many beginning and expanding farmers were not in business or are just starting up in the period so named and thus do not have reflective historic allowable net sales; and

"Whereas beginning and expanding producers are likely at the greatest risk of being financially disadvantaged by poor market conditions and being forced to exit agriculture because there is not a satisfactory safety net program or payment that meets their needs;

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

"To immediately adjust the safety net payments made via the OCHHP to include beginning and expanding farmers, and make a relief payment to the beginning and expanding farmers who have been missed or received seriously disproportionate payments, thereby preventing beginning farmers from exiting the agriculture sector."

It's signed by a great many of my constituents, and in fact constituents from all across the province. On their behalf, I'm proud to present this petition.

FEDERAL-PROVINCIAL

FISCAL POLICIES

Mr. Bill Mauro: I have a petition entitled "Fairness for the People of Ontario" addressed to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, which reads as follows:

"Whereas the federal government gives more support for economic development, health care and infrastructure to other parts of Canada, and unemployed workers in Ontario get less employment insurance support than in other parts of Canada;

"Whereas the federal system of taxes and equalization extracts over $20 billion from the people of Ontario every year above and beyond what Ottawa invests in Ontario;

"Whereas laid-off workers in Ontario get $4,630 less in employment insurance than they would get if they lived in another part of Canada;

"Whereas federal health care money is supposed to be divided equally among all Canadians, but right now Ontario residents are shortchanged by $773 million per year;

"Whereas the federal government provides economic development support for people living in the north, Atlantic Canada, Quebec and the west, but provides little economic development support for southern Ontario;

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to demand that the federal government stop gouging the people of Ontario and treat them fairly."

CHILD CARE

Mr. John O'Toole: I'm pleased to present a petition that was given to me by Vi Ashton from the community in my riding. It reads as follows:

"Whereas the Minister of Community and Social Services, Madeleine Meilleur, has decided that grandparents caring for their grandchildren no longer qualify for temporary care assistance; and

"Whereas the removal of the temporary care assistance could mean that children will be forced into foster care; and

"Whereas the temporary care assistance amounted to $231 per month, much less than a foster family would receive to look after the same children if they were forced into foster care;

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to immediately reverse the decision to remove temporary care assistance for grandparents looking after their grandchildren."

I'm pleased to support that, sign it and present it to one of the new pages, Ashton.

TOM LONGBOAT

Mr. Mike Colle: I have a petition from students in Sioux Lookout, Ontario. It's a petition trying to get Tom Longboat Day recognized in this great province.

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas Tom Longboat, a proud son of the Onondaga Nation, was one of the most internationally celebrated athletes in Canadian history;

"Whereas Tom Longboat was voted as the number one Canadian athlete of the 20th century ... for his record-breaking marathon and long-distance triumphs against the world's best;

"Whereas Tom Longboat fought for his country in World War I and was wounded twice during his tour of duty;

"Whereas Tom Longboat is a proud symbol of the outstanding achievements and contributions of Canada's aboriginal people;

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to recognize June 4 as Tom Longboat Day in Ontario."

I support Tom Longboat Day and I support this petition.

SALES TAX

Mr. Toby Barrett: I have a petition titled Implement a Sales Tax Holiday for Vehicle Sales. These signatures were gathered at the De Groote-Hill GM dealership.

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas potential automobile customers in North America are having trouble accessing credit and loans; and

"Whereas the automotive industry is having difficulty selling vehicles;

"We, the undersigned, petition provincial, federal and state governments to implement a sales tax holiday on the purchase of new and used cars and trucks."

The signatures here are from Norwich, Woodstock, Tillsonburg, and these were gathered in the community of Courtland.

POPE JOHN PAUL II

Mr. Bob Delaney: I'm pleased to read this petition to the Parliament of Ontario that supports a private member's bill by my colleague from Newmarket—Aurora. It was sent to us by signatories from St. Stanislaus-St. Casimir's Polish Parishes Credit Union and church in Toronto. It reads as follows:

"Whereas the legacy of Pope John Paul II reflects his lifelong commitment to international understanding, peace and the defence of equality and human rights;

"Whereas his legacy has an all-embracing meaning that is particularly relevant to Canada's multi-faith and multicultural traditions;

"Whereas, as one of the great spiritual leaders of contemporary times, Pope John Paul II visited Ontario during his pontificate of more than 25 years and, on his visits, was enthusiastically greeted by Ontario's diverse religious and cultural communities;

"Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Parliament of Ontario to grant speedy passage into law of the private member's bill

An Act to proclaim April 2 Pope John Paul II Day."

I'm pleased to sign and support this petition and to ask page Alexander to carry it for me.

SALES TAX

Mr. Jerry J. Ouellette: I have a petition. It reads:

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas potential automobile customers in North America are having trouble accessing credit and loans; and

"Whereas the automotive industry is having difficulty selling vehicles;

"We, the undersigned, petition provincial, federal and state governments to implement a sales tax holiday on the purchase of new and used cars and trucks."

I affix my name in full support.

ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS

Mr. Ernie Hardeman: I have here a petition that was sent to me by Teresa DeWetering in Stratford.

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Honourable Leona Dombrowsky, has publicly stated that she 'absolutely' wants to help the beginning and new entrants to agriculture; and

"Whereas beginning and expanding farmers are going to be important in the coming decade, as a record number of producers are expected to leave the industry; and

"Whereas the safety net payments—i.e., Ontario cattle, hog and horticulture payments—are based on historical averages, and many beginning and expanding farmers were not in business or are just starting up in the period so named and thus do not have reflective historic allowable net sales; and

"Whereas beginning and expanding producers are likely at the greatest risk of being financially disadvantaged by poor market conditions and being forced to exit agriculture because there is not a satisfactory safety net program or payment that meets their needs;

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

"To immediately adjust the safety net payments made via the OCHHP to include beginning and expanding farmers, and make a relief payment to the beginning and expanding farmers who have been missed or received seriously disproportionate payments, thereby preventing beginning farmers from exiting the agriculture sector."

I affix my signature, as I agree with this petition, and thank you very much for the opportunity to present it on behalf of my constituents.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES

STATUTE LAW AMENDMENT ACT, 2009 /

LOI DE 2009 MODIFIANT DES LOIS

EN CE QUI CONCERNE LES SERVICES

À L'ENFANCE ET À LA FAMILLE

Ms. Matthews moved third reading of the following bill:

Bill 103,

An Act to amend the Child and Family Services Act and to make amendments to other Acts / Projet de loi 103, Loi modifiant la

Loi sur les services à l'enfance et à la famille et apportant des modifications à d'autres lois.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): I'll recognize the Minister of Children and Youth Services to lead off the debate.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I'm pleased to rise today to speak in support of Bill 103, the Child and Family Services Statute Law Amendment Act, 2008, which I introduced in September and which is now before this House for third reading. I'll be sharing my time with my extraordinary parliamentary assistant, the member from Lambton—Kent—Middlesex.

The objective of this proposed legislation is to create a single youth justice system in Ontario. That means moving young people out of youth units co-located in adult correctional facilities. They will all be in dedicated stand-alone youth justice facilities.

This legislation, if passed, will enable the end of a process that began in 2004. At that time, the responsibility for youth justice services was transferred to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Since that time, our government has been working hard to transform the youth justice system in our province. In youth-dedicated facilities, youth will be held accountable for their actions, but they will also have access to programs designed specifically to reduce the risk of reoffending and improve their integration into society.

Our youth justice programs are based on evidence, not ideology. One of our youth justice service principles is that programs and services need to be evidence-based, they need to be evaluated for effectiveness, and they need to be guided by standards to increase the likelihood that youth get what they need in order to return to their community as productive, contributing members. That's why we worked closely with experts such as Dr. Alan Leschied at the University of Western Ontario, and Dr. Bob Hoge and Dr. Don Andrews at Carleton University. A considerable focus of their research is devoted to reducing reoffending. It informs many of our policies.

As soon as a young person enters one of our facilities, we develop a plan for that youth. The plan is designed to promote reintegration and prevent future crime.

Research supports our practices, including gender-specific programming, career counselling and social supports. In the past, the emphasis in the Ontario youth justice system was on providing a secure custodial environment for young people in conflict with the law, but evidence clearly shows that a broad range of community-based and custodial programs and services can reduce reoffending. That's why our government's focus has shifted towards the creation of a system that provides a broad range of alternatives to custody. These alternative programs are designed to meet the needs of youth in conflict with the law.

These programs include, for example, anger and stress management; school-based diversion programs; counselling; and other job-related training opportunities.

This legislation will support those efforts so that young people who find themselves on the wrong side of the law will have access to meaningful support. They'll have access to programs designed to help make changes in their young lives, to turn their backs on crime and to become productive community members in our society.

Our government's commitment to reducing crime and protecting law-abiding citizens is clear. When serious crimes are committed or the safety of the community is at risk, we will do what is necessary to protect the property and lives of the people of Ontario.

Since this legislation was introduced, a number of members on both sides of the House have risen to speak about its impact on youth in conflict with the law. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my thanks to all of the members who spoke in support of this legislation during debate at second reading. In particular, I'd like to thank my parliamentary assistant, the member for Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, for taking this bill through committee and for her ongoing dedication to young people.

I'd also like to thank my colleagues the member for Don Valley West, the member for Eglinton—Lawrence and the member for Mississauga—Streetsville for their thoughtful remarks during debate. I'd like to extend my thanks to the members of the Standing Committee on Social Policy for their diligent work. Through their efforts, we were able to amend this legislation, based on input from all parties and several presenters. In particular, I'd like to thank Ontario's child advocate for his work and advocacy on behalf of youth, including those in our youth justice system.

We have enormous respect for his work and for his office, which is why our government made the advocate's office independent.

The committee also heard from groups such as Justice for Children and Youth and Defence for Children International. It heard from people deeply involved in the youth justice system, such as Alex Munter from the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa. It also heard directly from citizens who wanted their voice heard in the legislative process. It received thoughtful written submissions from groups, including the Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies.

All members of the committee were clearly dedicated to ensuring the safety of our communities and creating a youth justice system tailored to the needs of youth. The committee ensured that the proposed legislation addressed the ability of elected officials, the advocate and the Ombudsman to visit facilities. It also made sure that communication between a young person's lawyer, elected officials, the advocate and the Ombudsman would always be kept confidential. Finally, members worked together to develop an amendment that would improve accountability.

The amendment requires youth justice facilities to report every six months on the need for a secure isolation room. The amendments the committee passed will ensure that there's greater accountability and transparency in our system. The amendments also take care to balance the rights of youth with the safety of our communities—something we all care about.

Since this proposed legislation was last debated in the House last fall, changes beyond the committee amendments have taken place. I was very thankful to receive the report on the roots of youth violence from former Chief Justice Roy McMurtry and former Speaker Alvin Curling. Their report spoke to the need for society to engage youth before they commit crime by improving community supports and combatting racism and poverty. Last December, I was extremely pleased to release Ontario's first-ever poverty reduction strategy, Breaking the Cycle.

These important initiatives have given us a better understanding of the needs of youth and why they come into conflict with the law, and set out a course of action that will reduce the number of young people turning to crime.

We all agree that youth in conflict with the law have different needs than adult offenders. Our government continues to move ahead with efforts to relocate young people from youth units that are currently co-located in adult facilities to new centres that are designed with youth in mind. By April 1 of this year, all young people in custody and detention in youth units that are co-located in adult correctional facilities in Ontario will be relocated to one of our secure youth-focused justice centres located in communities across the province.

There, they will have access to supports and programs that are tailored to their needs and an environment that's appropriate for them. As the evidence shows us, this is a crucial element in successfully reintegrating young people back into society without reoffending. The first of these youth justice centres opened last summer in Sault Ste. Marie, and I just recently had the opportunity to attend the opening of the William E. Hay Youth Centre in Ottawa.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the men and women who staff our youth justice facilities. It is through their dedication, their patience and their very hard work that we will continue to make progress for our youth. We'll continue to give young people who make mistakes the opportunity to lead productive and fulfilling lives.

I'd also like to thank the former deputy of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Jessica Hill. It is thanks to her vision that we're able to move forward today.

I would also like to thank my assistant deputy minister, Gilbert Tayles. He has an incredible passion for youth justice. I continue to appreciate his work and his support.

Creating an appropriate youth justice system is a priority for our government. We are taking action to protect our communities against those individuals or groups who engage in crime or attempt to entice others into breaking the law.

Bill 103, if passed, will be an essential part of the transformation process we began in 2004. I encourage all members of this House to support it.

Mrs. Maria Van Bommel: I, too, am pleased to rise today to join my colleague and speak in support of Bill 103, the Child and Family Services Statute Law Amendment Act, 2008, which was first introduced last September by my colleague the Minister of Children and Youth Services—and I certainly want to thank her for her very kind remarks.

This bill is designed to create a single legislative framework for all youth between the ages of 12 and 17 in Ontario who find themselves in conflict with the law. It will create a single, youth-focused piece of legislation, the Child and Family Services Act, and will repeal sections of the Ministry of Correctional Services Act that dealt with older young people. By creating a single legislative framework for youth justice services, we can support efforts to establish a fully functional and separate youth justice system for young people aged 12 to 17 at the time of their offences in Ontario.

That means that we will be able to move older youth out of youth units located in adult correctional facilities.

Our province has been blessed with the dedication and commitment of hundreds of men and women who work with troubled youth of varying ages and backgrounds. They respect the rights of youth and treat them with dignity, respect and firmness. By doing this, these men and w